After doing some research on Marie and Pierre Curie, I was able to write this article. This article contains information about the lives of Pierre and Marie Curie and their importance to physics and science in general. Pierre and Marie Curie are best known for their pioneering work in the study of radioactivity. The couple's work led to the discovery of the elements radium and polonium (Dick).Pierre Curie was born on May 15, 1859. He was born in Paris, France. Pierre's parents were Eugène Curie and Sophie-Claire Depoully Curie. Pierre had an older brother, Jacques Curie. Eugene was a scientist who gave up his dreams of a scientific career to support his family. It was through his medical practice that enough money was raised to allow the Curies to live a modest life. Sophie-Claire Depoully comes from a family of industrialists (Bailey). Pierre's family lived a simple life, but because of their closeness and affection, they were happy. Jacques and Pierre were particularly close and the two brothers spent most of their time together (Bailey). Pierre was educated at home by his brother and his parents. Some would have found Pierre slow, but his father simply believed him to be thoughtful and independent. Eugene realized that Pierre was capable of intense concentration, but easily distracted. Most of Pierre's free time was spent outside in the woods. He even often brought home specimens of minerals, flora and fauna (Bailey). At the age of fourteen, Pierre received a private tutor. This tutor discovered Pierre's great interest in mathematics and physics. At sixteen, Pierre obtained his baccalaureate. He received his bachelor's degree in physics ...... middle of paper ......orm. Debierne became her faithful collaborator until her death in 1934. In 1911, Marie received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. She received this prize for the discovery of the elements radium and polonium, through the isolation of radium and the study of the nature and compounds of this element (Froman). From the day Pierre met Marie at a friend's house, he was seduced. Together, the scientific couple published more than thirty articles on radioactivity. They could have become rich by patenting their radium extraction process, but the Curies refused to do so. They were generous. They believed that scientific research should not be hidden but belong to everyone (Bailey). Curie's work, which dealt with changes in the atomic nucleus, led to a modern understanding of the atom as an entity that can be split to release enormous energy ("Marie and Pierre Curie”).